The present invention relates to an information medium which may have a function similar to a tag and is chiefly used for discriminating one from others.
An information medium of this kind generally has a card-like figure. Such a medium is utilized to an electronic tag, electronic key, electronic entrance passport or the like. The medium is provided with a memory device for storing specific information which is used to achieve the discrimination between one and others. The medium can resend the specific information in accordance with the contents of instructions given from an exterior device. The exterior device is generally a computer-implemented device which decodes the resent specific information to discriminate the particular one of individual information mediums.
In a conventional information medium, the reception/delivery of signals from/to an external device, of the power supply for respective circuit elements contained in the information medium, is carried out via electrical contacts provided on the surface of the medium. When electrical contacts are used, the insertion direction of the medium against the external device must be exactly specified, and poor electrical contact due to contaminations of the contacts is likely to occur. From the above, handling of a conventional medium is not so easy and the expected life span of the medium is relatively short.